YuGiOh 5Ds Maiden of Miracles
by Link13PGF
Summary: Mac Trueblade was a rising turbo duelist until an accident caused him to lose his career, his freedom, and his little sister Lilina. Now grown up and a thief, Lilina must pick up the pieces and try to win back everything she and Mac lost from Jack Atlus.
1. Prologue Memories of a Better Time

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! As a valentine to my faithful readers, I decided I would upload a preview of my first Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds story! If you like it, please visit my profile and vote for it on my poll! If there's enough votes, I will continue this story. If not, well it won't be. Anyhow, do enjoy this special piece...**

Our world is full of legends… Legends of ancient creatures… Legends of ancient powers that lies dormant… Legends of guts and glory… Many of these legends were lost when the Great Cataclysm struck the Earth one hundred years ago. However, one legend survived… A legend that will leave its mark on humanity… This legend is about a girl and the mark she would leave on the world… Her story begins three years ago… On the island country of Japan in a place called Neo Domino City…

**Link13PGF proudly presents…**

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: Maiden of Miracles (Preview)**

**PROLOGUE: MEMORIES OF A BETTER TIME**

The city of Neo Domino… The shining capital of new Japan… Its city was bustling with millions of people, a good section of it was gathering at the local raceway. In one of the underground garages however, the excitement was already building as a thirteen year old girl sat on a stack of crates, watching an older teenager in a green bodysuit prepare a custom built motorcycle with a similar paint scheme. The girl was clad in blue track pants and a white T-shirt and her cerulean eyes watched the cyclist with amazement and awe.

"So Brother, are you ready for your big day?" The girl asked. The cyclist nodded as he pulled his helmet on and revved the engine of his bike.

"You bet. All of our hard work and sacrifice has come to this Lilina," The rider said calmly. Lilina nodded.

"You be careful out there Mac. Jack Atlus is not an opponent to take lightly," Lilina cautioned. Mac nodded and he drove up the tunnel and vanished. Lilina then left and quickly made her way to the stands. Lilina took a seat as the announcer in the main booth brought the PA system online and signaled the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Entering the stadium from the eastern entrance! Make some noise for the number one ranked turbo duelist in the world, Jack Atlus!" Smoke erupted from the track entryway as a large vehicle carrying a single rider flew out. It was shaped like a giant wheel, its rider sitting in the center of it. The rider was a blond-haired gentleman in a white tracksuit and helmet. A green visor covered his eyes and his ears were pierced by earrings that were shaped like the letter 'A'. The rider pumped his fist as the microphone came to life in his helmet.

"What say we kick this turbo duel into overdrive?" Jack asked. The crowd responded by screaming his name wildly.

_That's it. Pump up the crowd. This'll be your last duel as the champion._ Lilina thought.

"And entering the stadium from the western side! We have our challenger who is currently undefeated! Put your hands together for Mac Trueblade!" Fireworks shot into the sky as Mac flew out of the tunnel. The crowd roared as he pulled up alongside Jack.

"Undefeated huh? I'll show you who the master of faster is!" Jack challenged. His opponent said nothing and focused his gaze at the track ahead of him. Both duelists pressed a button on their runners and the computer dueling systems that were installed in their vehicles came to life. A new field spell appeared on both virtual dueling fields and the very air surrounding the stadium changed. The sky had taken on a purplish hue and the air was warm and slightly hazy. The computers in both runners came to life as the stage was set. Jack and Mac drew their Duel Monster decks and slid them into the corresponding slots.

_"DUEL MODE ENGAGED… AUTO-PILOT STANDING BY…"_ The computers replied.

"With their Speed World field spells activated, the action is about to start. Now for those of you who are joining us for the first time, let's review the rules of engagement. Once Speed World has been activated, the only spells a duelist is allowed to use are speed spells. Normal spells now take a backseat to the action. Additionally, a rider's strength is now governed by the duelist's speed counters. The more speed the duelist has, the stronger the move they can make. Lastly, each time a duelist suffers damage of 1000 life points or more, they'll lose speed counters so riders, beware!" The announcer explained.

_"TURBO DUELISTS… COUNTDOWN INITIATED… READY… SET… DUEL!"_ The engines on both runners roared to life as the duelists raced down the track at top speed. Both players drew their opening hands as Mac went to make the first move.

"I'll start things off by summoning Mech Warthog (ATK: 1500) in attack mode!" Mac said, an armored jeep appearing next to him. It was driven by an infantryman in green armor and a second stood in the back, arming a chain gun.

"And that's not all! Because I summoned a machine type monster, I can special summon Spartan Rider (ATK: 800) from my hand directly to the field!" Mac continued, a new monster appearing next to him. Clad in heavy green armor, his face was concealed by a golden visor. It then leapt into the gunner seat of the jeep, replacing the infantryman.

"Now that my rider has taken the gunner seat, my warthog gains 800 extra attack points," Mac concluded (ATK: 2300), "That ends my turn." Jack drew his card and the speed counter gauges of both players rose by one.

"Powerful start but not powerful enough! Because you have a monster and I don't, I can special summon Vice Dragon (ATK: 2000) to the field!" Jack began, a large purple dragon taking wing next to him, "Sure he may only have half the attack power he normally does, but he won't be around for long because I'm normal summoning Dark Resonator (ATK: 1300) as well." Mac said nothing as a blue-clad monster with red hair and a yellow tuning fork in its hand appeared on the field. This move worried Lilina greatly.

_There's only one reason why Jack would play Dark Resonator. It's a tuner monster! _Lilina frowned. Dark Resonator broke apart into three rings and Vice Dragon flew into them, turning into five white lights.

"The ruler's heartbeats now file through here! Take witness to its earth-shaking power!" Jack chanted as the lights and rings were engulfed in red fire. The fire took the form of a massive black and red dragon with white horns and claws.

_There it is!_ Lilina gasped.

"Red Dragon Archfiend (ATK: 3000)! Awaken and let loose the fires of destruction on that hunk of junk!" Jack commanded. His monster roared and it launched a stream of fire at Mac's warthog. The warthog countered with its chain gun but the bullets were absorbed by the flames. The vehicle itself was quickly engulfed but only the Spartan Rider felt any damage and vanished. The flames crossed into Mac's path, damaging his life points (LP: 3300).

"How did you like that?" Jack taunted, laying two facedowns behind him.

"I didn't," Mac replied, drawing a card (SPC: 2), "I play a speed spell, Vision Wind! With this, I can bring Spartan Rider (ATK: 800) back from the graveyard! Next, I'll summon Gauss Synchron (ATK: 300) in attack mode!" Jack merely scoffed as the Spartan returned to the field followed by another warrior-like monster made entirely of blue electricity. Its beady yellow eyes glared at Jack as it flew up into the air and became two rings of energy. The warthog and the Spartan then flew into them, becoming white lights.

"You're not the only one who can synchro summon! Brave souls and armored forces come to light and bring to our foes the fight! I synchro summon Fortress Elephant!" Mac declared, a flash of white engulfing the playing field. In its place was a massive armored tank being driven by a Spartan (AN: Think the Elephant from Halo 3).

"That's your ace monster? How pathetic!" Jack scoffed.

"You haven't seen what it can do yet. Its attack and defense are determined by what mode it is in and since my elephant is in defense mode, its defense is 3000 and its attack is zero," Mac explained, "And since I used Gauss Synchron to summon it, it's now immune to the effects of monsters which means Red Dragon Archfiend cannot use its special ability against it." Jack winced upon hearing this.

"Now I'll place two cards facedown and use the second effect of Gauss Synchron! Since I used it to synchro summon a machine monster, my elephant can inflict 500 points of damage to your life points during each of my end phases!" Mac concluded. The gun turret on top of the elephant came to life and took aim at Jack, pelting him with several rounds (LP: 3500).

"Nice move now let me show you one of mine!" Jack said (SPC: 3), "First, I'll summon Mad Archfiend (ATK: 1800) in attack mode! Then I'll order my Red Dragon Archfiend to attack your Fortress Elephant!" Jack's dragon roared as it prepared to attack.

"If you were counting on Red Dragon Archfiend's effect to kick in, it won't work," Mac warned.

"I wasn't trying to destroy your elephant. I was just setting the scene so I could play my trap card: A trap card known as Spell of the Ruler! With this card equipped to my dragon, its attack power increases by 700 points!" Jack countered. Crimson energy flew from it and into the dragon, causing it to growl in anger (ATK: 3700).

"Hold it! I activate my Power Drain counter trap card! With it, I can negate your trap and destroy it!" Mac countered. The Spartan in control of the elephant whipped out a silver sphere and launched it at Red Dragon Archfiend. The sphere attached to the monster and engulfed it in blue light, powering it down.

"It looks like you got off easy this turn," Jack noticed as his dragon's attack once again bounced off the elephant.

"Not quite. Because Mad Archfiend did not declare an attack, it is destroyed by your dragon," Mac warned as Jack's second monster blew up.

"So what? It was a weak monster anyway," Jack said. Mac frowned at this as he drew a card (SPC: 4).

"Weak huh? A poor choice of words Jack," Mac said, another Spartan appearing on top of the Fortress Elephant. Unlike the Spartan Rider, this one carried a rocket launcher (ATK: 1500).

"No card is weak as my Spartan Infantryman will show you right now! Since it will not attack this turn, it can inflict 500 points of damage to your life points! And let's not forget Fortress Elephant! It too can inflict the same amount of damage so this will be a double attack!" Mac declared. The Spartan took aim and a single rocket exploded out of the launcher as the elephant launched several rounds at Jack. The champion winced as his life points felt the pain (LP: 2500).

"And with that, I shall end my turn," Mac concluded.

"Alright, it's my turn again," Jack said (SPC: 5), "And I think it's time I turned things around with a speed spell known as Dash Pilfer!"

---

_**Dash Pilfer is a speed spell that allows a player to take control of an opponent's defense position monster until the end of the turn.**_

---

"That's not good," Mac frowned as his Spartan Infantryman was forced to jump off his Fortress Elephant. The elephant's engines roared to life as it raced over to Jack's side.

"That's right. It's not especially since I'm switching your elephant to attack mode!" Jack warned, "And since your elephant is now in attack mode, its attack and defense points swap (ATK: 3000 DEF: 0), setting things up perfectly for your defeat!" The elephant's turret took aim at Mac's remaining monster and locked on.

"Say goodbye! Fortress Elephant attack!" Jack commanded.

"Never! I activate the Deployable Cover trap card! With this, my Spartan Infantryman cannot be destroyed in battle this turn!" Mac countered, his monster throwing out a black device ahead of him. It opened up and created a blue energy shield that repelled the bullets. However, they ricocheted into Mac (LP: 1800).

"Perhaps but you're still taking damage and speaking of damage! Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack!" Jack shouted. The dragon roared but once again the deployable cover kicked in, saving the Spartan Infantryman from destruction. Mac felt the force of the attack though as his life points and speed counters suffered (LP: 300 SPC: 3).

"Now I'll sacrifice your Fortress Elephant for Big Piece Golem (ATK: 2100), set a facedown and end my turn!" Jack concluded, the machine monster vanishing and in its place was a gray golem monster made entirely of stone.

"Excellent. Since your turn is over, the secondary effect of Deployable Cover activates! For every 1000 points of damage I took this turn, I can draw a card. Since I lost 3000 life points, I get three cards," Mac explained, increasing the size of his hand (SPC: 4), "I discard one card from my hand to activate the speed spell Tuner Boost! With it, I can special summon Gauss Synchron back from the graveyard and increase its level by two!" Lightning clapped and thunder roared as Mac's synchro monster made a triumphant return (LV: 4).

"And now I'll tune my Spartan Infantryman with my Gauss Synchron!" Mac continued, his monsters taking to the air. They flew high enough that they disappeared from sight. A low rumble filled the stadium as a new vehicle of destruction appeared overhead. It was a massive starship with cannons in the front and rear. On its side were the words _Spirit of Fire_.

"What is that?" Jack gasped.

_It's Mac's ace monster… Spirit of Fire…_ Lilina grinned, "Way to go bro!"

"This is my Starship Spirit of Fire (ATK: 2500) and because it was summoned by Gauss Synchron, it is now immune to monster effects!" Mac replied.

"Perhaps but it cannot attack my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack pointed out.

"Think again! I activate Spirit of Fire's first special ability! Destroy Red Dragon Archfiend with mass accelerator cannon!" Mac commanded. The main gun came to life as it fired a piercing laser that aimed to slice Jack's dragon in two.

"Hold it right there! I activate my Interdimensional Matter Transporter! With it, I can remove my dragon from the field!" Jack countered, his monster vanishing in time to avoid the blast.

"Maybe so but I can still attack your Big Piece Golem!" Mac warned, his ship firing off several rounds. The golem did its best to resist but the firepower was too much for it and it exploded in Jack's face (LP: 2100).

"Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!" Mac concluded.

"And since your turn ended, my dragon returns (ATK: 3000)!" Jack replied, his ace monster reappearing on the field, "Next, I'll have my dragon destroy that eyesore of a starship!"

"Think again! I play the trap card Level Cutter! With this, your dragon's level is cut in half until the end of this turn!" Mac countered.

"But what good does that do you?" Jack wondered as his monster's level was cut down (LV: 4). His answer came when his dragon's attack stopped short of the starship.

"My starship hovers high over the playing field. Monsters whose level is under seven cannot attack it!" Mac explained.

"That's too bad because I have a backup plan! I activate the Fiend Cannon trap card! Since my attack failed, I can inflict 500 points of damage to your life points!" Jack countered, his facedown opening. A burst of energy fired out of it but it was deflected away from Mac and back at Jack.

"I activate my counter trap Radar Jammer! With it, the damage is sent back at you!" Mac said, his trap firing an energy blast back at Jack. The energy struck the runner, causing Jack to swivel dangerously (LP: 1600).

"Humph. I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," Jack concluded, his monster's level returning to normal.

"Then it's my turn again and I'll use my Spirit of Fire's special ability to destroy your Red Dragon Archfiend!" Mac said. The cannons warmed up and aimed at Jack's dragon.

"Foolish move. I reveal my Remote Revenge trap card! With it, I'll redirect the effect of your monster so that it blows itself up!" Jack grinned. Mac frowned as his own monster suddenly self-destructed.

"That's end game!" Jack laughed, "There's no way you'll bounce back from that loss."

"I wouldn't be so sure. I play the speed spell Zero Rebirth! With it, my Starship Spirit of Fire returns!" Mac countered, resummoning his airship, "Even with its attack power reduced by the effect of Zero Rebirth (ATK: 0), I can still use its special ability once more! Destroy Red Dragon Archfiend with mass accelerator cannon!" Jack winced as the starship's laser cannons took aim and blew his monster apart.

"Yes!" Lilina cheered, "Come on Mac! Jack's got no cards left! Finish him off!"

"Now I'll sacrifice my starship in order to summon the Spartan Chief (ATK: 2500)!" Mac continued, his airship vanishing form sight. In its place floated down another Spartan soldier but it wasn't like the others that had previously been used. It wore the same green armor and had a gold visor but it hefted a large green blaster on its shoulder.

"Hold on! That's a level seven monster!" Jack protested.

"Yes I know but because I sacrificed a machine type monster, it only needs one monster to summon it successfully. Spartan Chief! Finish off Jack with…" However Mac's words were cut off by an explosion. To the horror of the crowd, Mac's runner was smoking. The hologram of Mac's monster flickered and disappeared as another explosion engulfed the track in smoke.

"Mac!" Lilina gasped. Several more explosions followed and Mac's runner skidded against the pavement. Its rider tumbled along the track for several before landing at the base of one of the turns. A cold feeling filled Lilina's heart as she saw her brother lying on the track unconscious. Pushing through the people, Lilina leapt over the barriers to the track only to be stopped by several uniformed security guards.

"Let me go! That's my brother out there!" She protested but they held her back. Pushing them aside, she climbed onto the track and skidded next to Mac's unconscious form.

"Mac! Can you hear me?" Lilina asked, shaking his shoulders, "Mac! Please! Wake up!" A security guard grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her aside as medics quickly came in and carried the duelist off.

"Will my brother be OK?" Lilina asked.

"I don't know. Come on, let's find your folks," The guard replied.

"My folks aren't here. I came with my brother," She explained.

"OK, please follow me," The guard ordered. That would prove to be a mistake as Lilina was led to the security tower and was greeted by a middle-aged gentleman in a blue suit. His hair was gray and his face wrinkled with age. His pale blue eyes glared at Lilina with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.

"Is this the one?" The man asked.

"Yes sir," The guard replied, "What shall we do with her? Shall we send her to the facility?" The man shook his head.

"This girl's brother is deserving of our respect. Take her back to Satellite," The man ordered.

"At once Director Godwin," The guard nodded.

"Wait! What about my brother? Where is he?" Lilina demanded, struggling against her captor.

"Do not despair. He is off to a prison hospital. Once he is healed, he will be sent to the facility and then returned to you," Godwin replied, "Such is the fate of all Satellites like yourself." Lilina gasped in shock.

_How did he know we were from Satellite?_ Lilina wondered.

"Oh yes, I know about where you and your brother came from. After all, he did follow Jack's route out of Satellite and you came with him correct?" Godwin asked. Lilina winced at this and she reluctantly let the guard lead her out.

---

_Three years later…_

"Hold it right there you!" A security guard shouted. However, his prey did not stop. Clothed entirely in black that masked all features, the thief's lithe body carried her effortlessly around the junk piles and rubble located in the dilapidated parts of Satellite. A black pack was on her back, laden down with stolen goods. Beneath her mask, the thief smirked as she dived into an old sewer tunnel and out of the guard's reach.

"Damn it! I need backup!" The guard said, reaching for his radio. However, he made his move too late as the thief dashed down the tunnel until she reached a ladder. Climbing it, she ducked into the connecting air duct and out of sight. She crawled for a short distance before coming out near the harbor on the other side.

_Looks like I'm clear._ The thief thought and she promptly ducked behind a nearby dumpster. There, she shed her suit and mask, exposing her long blue hair and naked body. Throwing the dirty suit into the dumpster, she reached into an iron barrel and extracted a cloth grocery bag filled to the brim with clean clothes. Pulling on a pair of dark blue jeans, a purple T-shirt and an ivory jacket over her undergarments, the sixteen year old girl grabbed her stolen goods and emptied them into the grocery bag. She quickly tied her black tennis shoes and then threw the empty bag into the dumpster. Her tracks covered, she walked calmly along the docks to her destination – An abandoned oil platform that was at least thirty feet from the docks.

---

_**Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How can a pretty little girl turn into such a quick thief? Well, it's to survive. I'm a member of the Black Hand Thieves' Guild. We're a group of Satellite residents who have had their lives ruined by the uncaring people of Neo Domino City. We don't like the fact that our lives were ruined so we steal from whoever we can in order to survive. **_

---

She approached a broken terminal and punched in a code. A quiet beep followed and a catwalk rose out of the water and connected the dock and the bridge. She promptly dashed across and turned back to watch the catwalk sink back below the waves. From there, she went to the center of the rig and took an elevator up to the observation deck. There, she was met by an older gentleman of about twenty-five years of age. His black hair was cut short and he wore a black T-shirt with a white skull embroidered on the front. Garbed in blue jeans and a tan trench coat, his black eyes regarded several television screens with keen interest.

"You're late Lilina," The man said, his brown eyes regarding the thief with interest. The girl set the grocery bag on a nearby table and began removing its contents.

"Sorry Nero. I had a little run-in with security on my way out," She replied.

---

_**Nero is a Satellite resident who formed our thieves' guild. Despite his cold, calculating attitude, he is loyal to and thinks fondly of us. He doesn't take kindly to authority figures or markers. What? You don't know what a marker is? They're criminals who have been marked by Security with tracking paint. The infernal stuff won't come off your skin and constantly sends a signal to security headquarters. Fortunately, no one in our group is marked otherwise they'd be out of here in a heartbeat.**_

---

"Did they follow you?" Nero asked.

"Of course not. I ditched my clothes and bag just as I always do," Lilina said, finishing the unloading, "But that was after I took the guard's contraband out of his patrol cycle." Nero shook his head disapprovingly.

"That was foolish of you. You're usually not so reckless," Nero noticed as he pulled out a notepad and began to assess the value of Lilina's goods, "Lots of computer chips this time… Some confiscated Duel Monsters cards… Runner parts… You did well this time."

"Thanks Nero. Now about my payment…" Lilina said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"You'll get it when I finish taking the inventory," Nero chided, not looking up from his work, "You might as well go check on the others. This could take awhile." Sighing, Lilina grabbed the grocery bag and got back in the elevator and rode it downward this time. Going past the ground level entrance, she descended further. When the doors opened again, she found herself in a large enclosed room where drilling equipment once sat. Now the space had been divided up using crudely assembled sheet metal, tattered blankets and whatever else had been lying around. Despite the old surroundings, the room was well lit and a large round table had been constructed in the center. Two girls were currently sitting at the table. One was in a red string bikini top and blue jeans. The other was more conservatively dressed in an outfit similar to Lilina's except that she wore a black trench coat and sunglasses over her shirt and jeans. The bikini wearer had huge breasts that were barely held in by her top and her jet black hair was combed back and tied off in a tight ponytail. Her skin was dark, which contrasted beautifully with her clothing.

"About time you got back. We were getting worried that you were having too much fun," the trench coat girl greeted.

"Nice to see you too Sammie," Lilina said back, taking a seat.

---

_**Sammie is a black market dealer and she helps sell the goods that our group members steal. She's really handy to have around as she knows how to make the right connections and leaves no trails for prying eyes to follow.**_

---

"So how was the dealing?" Lilina asked.

"Great! You'd be surprised how many people wanted to get their hands on some cards and chips," Sammie replied, "I made quite a haul for us."

"That's great and all but my job was more fun," The bikini girl grinned, pulling several wads of cash out of her pockets.

"Only you would find selling your body fun Azuela," Lilina groaned.

"Hey, my job is easy. I just knock them up, knock them out, and then leave nothing but their IDs," Azuela grinned.

---

_**Another female member of the thieves' guild, Azuela is a Mexican girl who was sold into slavery when she was a little girl to a rich Neo Domino City family. Nero managed to get her out and she's been living as a member of the guild ever since. She uses her body and love of kinky sex to seduce unwilling victims and then robs them blind. Because of injuries she took as a child, she cannot be impregnated. I don't think much of her ways but she does get the job done.**_

---

"You're just lucky that you're not all there down there," Sammie chided, pointing to the scar, "Otherwise, you would have been impregnated a long time ago." Azuela's smile quickly slipped as she was reminded of rougher times.

"Don't remind me," Azuela groaned.

"Anyhow," Lilina interrupted, "Does Nero know you have that money?"

"I was going to take it to him," Azuela argued.

"You know the rules Azuela," A new voice interrupted. Turning to the elevator, the girls saw a burly man in a black muscle shirt, padded black jeans and gloves. His head was bald and his green eyes disapprovingly locked onto the group's prostitute.

"I know Cohen. All proceeds go to Nero first," Azuela groaned, getting up, "I'm going." Cohen then eyed Sammie.

"And that's not all. Sammie, you're needed upstairs," Cohen added. Sammie nodded and she quickly got on the elevator with Azuela.

---

_**Cohen is a Satellite resident who was frequently beaten up as child until he ran away and joined our guild. His job in our guild is to rough up anyone who gets too close to our group. It may be hard to imagine with a background like his but he is actually our strongest member.**_

---

"Do you need anything from me?" Lilina asked.

"No but you could help me find Cecilia and Rutger," Cohen replied, "They're late getting back from their job." As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and two children stepped out. One was a red-haired girl who was about ten years old. Clothed in dirty green clothing, she had a pair of binoculars wrapped around her neck and a green bandanna tied up in hair. The other kid was a boy who was two years older and garbed in orange. An orange headband kept his brown hair out of his eyes. Despite the age difference, they both possessed the same hazel eyes and each carried a pair of plastic grocery bags.

"And just where have you two been?" Lilina asked, glaring at the kids.

"Sorry Lilina. We got held up on the way back," The boy apologized.

"Rutger decided to pick a few pockets on the way back and we got caught," The girl complained.

"Rutger, you were supposed to get some food from the market and come straight back," Lilina frowned, "Nero's going to let you have it when he finds out." The little boy frowned as he placed the bags on the table. Lilina then rounded on the little girl.

"And just what were you doing when all this was happening Cecilia?" Lilina asked.

"I was on my way back with the groceries but after Rutger got spotted, we had to take the long way to get back," Cecilia answered.

---

_**Rutger and Cecilia are recent recruits. Rutger's only family was an abusive older brother until Rutger left him. Rutger's role in our guild isn't set in stone yet but he tries his best to be a thief like me. He does have quick hands but is not very efficient. I can't remember the number of times we've had to bail him out of trouble. Cecilia, on the other hand, was orphaned at an early age when her parents were gunned down for trying to break into Neo Domino City. Shortly after being thrown back onto the streets, Nero brought her into the guild. Like Rutger, she wants to be helpful and as such has become the guild's lookout when we're in the base or on missions.**_

**---**

"At least you two can do something right," Cohen growled, "Go put the groceries in storage and then report to Nero." The children nodded dejectedly and went to carry out their orders.

"I hate it when we have to be hard on them," Lilina said sadly.

"We only do this because we care about them," Cohen said, placing a massive hand on Lilina's shoulder. The girl nodded but before she could say anything in response, the lights went out, leaving the duo in darkness.

"Not again!" Rutger protested, his voice coming from a corner of the room. Sighing, Lilina reached into her pocket and extracted a mini flashlight. Its beam was small but bright enough to light the room up.

"I better go see what Tech has done this time," Lilina said, walking to another door on the opposite side of the room. Opening it up, she followed a short corridor until she reached a ladder and hatch. Opening the hatch, the girl climbed down a level and reentered the oilrig. The new room she entered was just like the meeting room above but this one was filled to the brim with tables, machine parts and other mechanical devices. In one corner of the room, a blond-haired teen stood over a beat up mini-turbine. His shirt and coveralls were stained with oil and other various fluids and a large, high powered flashlight was pointed at the ceiling, filling the room with a little light.

"Ah damn it! You have to do this to us now don't you?" The boy swore, kicking the machine.

"Problem with the generator again?" Lilina asked. The boy looked back, his brown eyes filled with anger and his glasses sliding off his nose.

---

_**Tech is our on-base mechanical know-it-all. His real name is Alfred and he used to be a rich debutante until his family's fortune was stolen by their business partners. Penniless, he was forced to reside in Satellite where he befriended yours truly. He is an expert on machinery and builds many devices for our guild. He was the one who brought our oil-rig base online and made it what it is now.**_

---

"The old thing just gave out again," Tech frowned, standing up straight.

"What's wrong with it this time?" Lilina asked.

"It needs a lot of things but a new circuit control chip would get our power back," Tech replied, "But I don't have any left and it's too late in the evening to go take one from the recycling plant." The door to the room then opened and Nero stepped in, a flashlight in one hand.

"Then I'll save you the trouble," Nero said, holding out his empty hand. Inside was a small red computer chip. Cid snatched it up and quickly put it into the generator. After a little tinkering, the machine rumbled to life and the lights came back on.

"Good work Tech," Nero nodded approvingly, "Come on, we're having our meeting now." Tech put away his tools and the threesome stepped into the elevator and rode back up to the meeting room where all the members now sat together.

"I'm glad you're all here. First off, I'm here to give you your payments for this week's operations," Nero began, handing out several small bags. When Lilina received hers, she quickly put it in the pocket of her jacket and zipped it shut.

"Next, I want to give these out," Nero continued. Reaching into a bag he had concealed beneath the table, he extracted several black earpieces and handed them out.

"Thanks to Tech's brilliance and Lilina providing us with the parts, we now have wireless communication devices," Nero announced, "With these, we can now use Sector Security's radio network to listen in on their activities and plan accordingly for them."

"And we can use them to communicate with each other right?" Rutger asked, eyeing his earpiece. Nero shook his head.

"No, these are listening devices only. We can't take the risk that Sector Security might find the frequency we're using and find us. As such, I only want you to use these when you're not in or near the base. Is that clear?" Nero asked. The group members nodded their consent.

"Lastly, I just want to remind you that we've got to be more careful about where we pick our targets," Nero said, his gaze on Rutger, "We've had some close calls lately so for the next couple days, I want us to lay low. We don't want to attract attention right now especially with today's events. The theft of the computer chips and parts are going to put security on high alert. With that, you're all dismissed." Free to move again, Lilina quickly headed for the elevator and got inside. Reentering Tech's workshop, she passed through a side door and down a corridor to a small stand alone room that had a view of the docks. Unlike the meeting room, this one was fitted out with a few luxuries, including a computer on a desk, a futon, and a bed. On one side was another door that led out to a walkway and hanging on hooks nearby were a lot of clothes. Closing the blinds, Lilina turned on the lights, exposing a duel runner in the center of the room. Like her brother's old runner, it was made from the recycled body of a motorcycle but it possessed a black chassis. Blue racing stripes had been painted on the side and an old duel disk had been plugged into the front near the handlebars. A small computer screen was displayed above it. Taking a seat at her desk, Lilina took the parcel out of her pocket and opened it, exposing its contents.

"Let's see… Some new Duel Monsters cards… Some cash… Bingo! Thank you Nero!" Lilina said gleefully, extracting a blue computer chip, "A mach 45 processing chip! Exactly what I needed!" Turning on her computer, she took several cables from it and plugged them into the side of the runner. From there, she removed the outer casing of the duel disk and placed the chip into an empty space in the duel disk. Replacing the cover, she waited expectantly as the computer in the runner came to life. She then hopped on the bike and revved the engine. She then glanced at the computer screen and studied the results it gave her. To her disappointment, a lot of the gauges and bars were red. She ran the tests several more times but the results were all the same.

"Not enough processing power… Not enough acceleration to meet the standards of my brother's last runner… Another dead end…" Lilina sighed. Dejected and tired, Lilina shed her clothes and climbed naked under the covers. She shut off the lights and fell asleep.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like what you read so far? If you did, go to my profile and vote for it! Also, I might upload a second part if there's enough support but right now, I've got other things to work on.**


	2. A Day In The Life of a Thief

**CHAPTER ONE: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A THIEF**

"Lilina! Lilina, wake up!" A voice called. The girl's eyes opened and stared straight into the hazel eyes of Cecilia and Rutger. Brushing her locks out of her face, she pulled her blankets tightly around her.

"What is it?" Lilina mumbled.

"Come on! Today's the day you promised to take us to Under Square," Rutger replied.

"What time is it?" Lilina yawned.

"It's already noon!" Cecilia said, "Now come on! We let you sleep in long enough!" Lilina sighed as she sat up.

"OK, but let me get some clothes on first," Lilina begged. The two children nodded and quickly ran out of the room, passing Nero in the process. The thief leader peeked into the room as Lilina climbed out of bed and started sorting through her clothing for something wear.

"Sorry. They were insistent," Nero apologized, turning his back to the girl as she dressed.

"It's OK. I need to keep my promise," Lilina said as she pulled on her jacket. She pocketed her money and walked past Nero.

"So what will you do in Under Square today?" Nero asked.

"I plan on trying to find some more parts for my duel runner," Lilina replied as she and Nero entered the elevator, "What about you? I know you don't plan to spend the day in the base."

"Cohen and I need to have a "discussion" with one of our buyers," Nero said.

"A "discussion" huh? What for?" Lilina asked.

"He thinks we're cheating him. I've got reason to believe that he'll rat us out. If he does that, we'll lose a lot of business," Nero explained. Lilina nodded grimly. The door opened and Lilina saw the muscle of their team along with the two youngest members. The catwalk had already risen out of the water and the fivesome walked across. The catwalk descended back into the waves and the two older men walked off. Lilina then guided her two cohorts deeper into the slums of Satellite.

"So what is it like in Under Square?" Rutger asked.

"Well it's not the market if that's what you're expecting. A lot of unsavory characters meet there to trade information and goods," Lilina explained.

"What kind of goods?" Cecilia asked.

"Just about anything you could want. You see, despite the awful reputation we have here in Satellite, there are those who feel sorry for us and want to make our lives easier. They bring us things from around the world that we cannot get normally. Unfortunately, the rich and powerful of Neo Domino City don't like this and label these people criminals," Lilina continued.

"That's kind of mean of them," Cecilia marked. Lilina nodded.

"The people of Neo Domino City couldn't care less about any of us. All they care about are themselves," Lilina growled.

"Then why did you and Mac try to go there three years ago?" Rutger asked.

"We wanted to set up operations in Neo Domino City, make a lot of money and then use it to break down the barriers between Satellite and Neo Domino City," Lilina said sadly, "And we would have if Mac's runner hadn't broken down in that duel." The two children said nothing at this. Eventually, the trio found themselves at the entrance to an old subway tunnel. Pulling out the flashlight she had brought, Lilina led the kids underground and onto the tracks. They walked for several minutes when they encountered a door built into the wall of the tunnel. A thin slit had been cut out of it a small beam of light emanated from it. Stepping up to the door, the light was blocked out by a figure behind the door.

"Password?" The figure asked.

"Godwin sucks," Lilina replied. The door opened and the trio stepped inside. Rutger and Cecilia gasped at what lay before them. It was a gigantic room filled to the brim with dozens of stalls selling various goods.

"This is so cool!" Rutger grinned, rubbing his hands together, "Let's go!"

"Hold it!" Lilina replied, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his jacket, "First things first. We're going to get my goods." Cecilia nodded but Rutger merely sniffed in disgust. They entered the throng of people and walked down the first street on the left.

"So where are we headed first?" Cecilia asked.

"The junk shop," Lilina replied. Pushing aside a curtain, the trio stepped into a shop with crudely constructed shelves filled to the brim with dozens of mechanical parts and knick knacks. Index cards had been set up, listing prices. There was no one else inside save for an old man in dirty robes with an eye patch manning an old cash register.

"Hey Lilina! What can I do for ye?" The old man greeted.

"Hi Dawson. I need some special parts for a project I'm working on," Lilina replied, pulling a list out of her pocket, "Do you have any of these?" The man took the list and looked at it for a moment.

"Aye, I do. I'll be but a moment," The old man said, stepping back behind a curtain. As Lilina waited patiently, she noticed Rutger eyeing a shelf full of computer chips. Seeing the greedy look in his eyes, Lilina grabbed his shoulder and attention.

"Don't even think about it," Lilina warned in a hushed tone.

"Oh come on! The old bat won't even know they're missing," Rutger whispered.

"There are two reasons why you won't be stealing today. The first is that I'm on very good terms with Old Man Dawson and I intend to keep it that way. And secondly, thievery is not tolerated in Under Square," Lilina chided, "If you get caught, they take back what you stole and then chop your fingers off. Do you understand?" Rutger swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Do they really do that?" Cecilia asked, her fears rising. Lilina glumly nodded.

"That's why I don't try to steal anything from Under Square dealers," Lilina replied, "It's just too dangerous. I'll steal stuff from a Security warehouse before I dare try to steal anything from here." The rules laid out, the trio waited quietly while Dawson brought out Lilina's parts. As she watched the old man work, Lilina noticed something.

"Hey Dawson, where's Rally?" Lilina asked, "I thought he worked the shop with you." The old man's gleeful attitude dropped into a frown.

"My nephew was marked two days ago for stealing from the recycling plant," Dawson said.

"And where is he now?" Lilina pressed.

"He was released yesterday but as you know, markers aren't allowed down here," Dawson said, putting Lilina's items in her bag.

"Why not?" Cecilia asked. Dawson looked to the little girl then Lilina.

"These are my friends from the guild. This is their first time in Under Square," Lilina explained, "They don't know all the rules."

"That so huh? Well lass, just so you know, this place deals in goods that typically aren't allowed in Satellite. As such, we can't give Security any reasons to come down here so all markers are banned from entering Under Square," The old man said.

"I see. That makes sense," Rutger nodded as Lilina paid the old man.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Dawson said.

"Tell Rally we said hello," Lilina said back as she led her friends out.

"So where to now?" Rutger asked as Lilina slung her bag over her shoulder.

"The card shop," Lilina replied, leading her friends down a side path. Stepping past another curtain, the trio found themselves in another store except that there was only a single counter being manned by a hood with blue hair and a black leather outfit. Some of his long locks covered his right eye, giving him a very seductive look.

"Yo. What can I do for ya babe?" The shopkeeper asked coldly.

"Hey Lance. I need some cards," Lilina replied, her tone just as icy.

"I got all kinds Lilina. You lookin' for anything specific?" Lance asked, his tone warming up a little.

"Yeah I do," Lilina said, handing him a list, "Got any of these?" The shopkeeper studied the list for a few minutes and then reached behind the counter and brought out a black binder. Flipping through it, he pulled several cards from their sleeves.

"I got exactly what you're lookin' for… If you can afford 'em that is," Lance said, holding the cards out of Lilina's reach. The girl slammed some bills on the table and Lance gave her the cards.

"Cool. Can I get some cards?" Rutger asked, pulling out his own money.

"Sure kid. You lookin' for anything in particular?" Lance asked.

"I'm lookin' for strong cards," Rutger replied, imitating the shopkeeper's tone to the best of his ability. Lance smirked as he closed the binder and drew out a small box filled with multi-colored booster packs.

"Don't have any strong cards but I do have booster packs," Lance said, pointing to the price tag. Rutger looked to Lilina and she nodded in agreement. The boy placed his money on the table and took four packs.

"I'll take some too," Cecilia added, placing her own money down. She however could only afford three packs.

"Pleasure doin' business with ya," Lance grinned, putting the money and products away. Lilina nodded a farewell and looked to her young comrades.

"Give me your packs. We'll open them when we get back to base," Lilina ordered, holding out her hand.

"Aw come on Lilina! I wanna see what I got!" Rutger begged. However, the older girl refused to back down and the two children reluctantly gave the cards up. Lilina slipped them into her bag and they moved on.

"Are we almost done?" Rutger asked, "I want to see more of Under Square."

"Almost. We have to get some parts for Tech and then we can leave," Lilina replied, entering another store. It didn't take long to get the parts and the threesome was soon sitting on a makeshift bench near the entrance to the square.

"So what do you think of Under Square now that you've seen it?" Lilina asked the kids.

"It's really neat," Cecilia grinned, "Can we come back again tomorrow?" Lilina shook her head.

"Under Square is only open on Saturdays and its location changes each week so that Security never finds it," Lilina replied.

"So how did you know where it was this week?" Rutger asked.

"Through Sammie. She's usually here every week, selling stuff," Lilina explained, "Didn't you know that?" The boy shook his head. Taking a deep breath, Lilina grabbed her bags and stood up.

"Alright, we had our fun but here comes the hard part. We have to get back to base without being spotted by Security," Lilina stated, "Are you ready?" The two children nodded and they reentered the subway tunnels. They retraced their steps until they reached the surface. From there, the trio stuck to the shadows until they reached the surface. Looking up at the smog-covered sky, the thieves saw it was approaching mid-afternoon. The sun cast shadows throughout the area, giving them plenty of freedom to move around undetected. Eventually, they reached their home base and were safely inside.

"Home at last," Cecilia sighed with relief.

"Come on! Give me my cards!" Rutger begged.

"OK, calm down. Here you are," Lilina said, pulling the boosters out of the bag. The kids eagerly grabbed them, but Rutger stopped for a moment and handed one to Lilina.

"What's this?" Lilina asked.

"It's my thanks for showing us around Under Square today," Rutger replied.

"Why thank you but you know you don't have to do this," Lilina said.

"It's cool. Just promise me you'll take us again the next time you can!" Rutger grinned.

"OK, I promise," Lilina vowed, "Now let's see what we got." Rutger nodded and the three thieves opened their packs.

"Wow! There's lots of neat cards in here!" Rutger smiled at his choices.

"I got a few good ones too," Cecilia agreed. Lilina however was in utter shock at the contents of her pack. Seeing the look on the older girl's face, Cecilia came to her side.

"Lilina? What did you get?" Cecilia asked.

"A secret rare," Lilina gasped, putting her cards away.

"What? Show me!" Rutger demanded, coming to her other side.

"I don't think so," Lilina smirked, holding the cards out of reach.

"Aw come on! I want to see it!" Rutger begged.

"I'll show you if you beat me in a duel," Lilina challenged.

"Fine! You're on! Just let me get my deck!" Rutger agreed and he ran into the storage room and came out with a pair of old duel disks. He handed one to Lilina as the girl finished shuffling her new cards into her deck.

"This should be fun!" Rutger grinned as the equipment came online. Both players drew five cards and Lilina drew a sixth.

"The first move is mine and I'll place one monster in facedown defense mode," Lilina declared.

"Is that all?" Rutger asked, drawing a card, "Well I'll counter with my Alien Shocktrooper (ATK: 1900)!" Rutger's monster walked on four webbed feet. Covered in slimy green scales, its upper body was humanoid in nature and wore blue armor. One of its webbed hands carried a shining silver sword and its orange eyes glared down at Lilina's facedown monster.

"Alright Shocktrooper, destroy Lilina's monster!" Rutger commanded. The beast roared as it charged and sliced into Lilina's card, exposing a woman garbed in red and blue robes. She carried a crystal ball, although it was no protection against Rutger's alien monster.

"What was that thing?" Rutger asked.

"Rutger, that was Lilina's Crystal Seer (DEF: 100)," Cecilia chided from her sideline position.

"Yup and when it's revealed, I can look at the two top cards of my deck and add one to my hand. Then I place the other card at the bottom of my deck," Lilina added, selecting a card.

"I knew that. I was just testing you," Rutger grinned sheepishly, ending his turn.

"If that's true, then you must know that you left your monster unprotected on the field," Lilina replied, drawing a card, "And I think it's time I punish you for your mistake! I summon White Magical Hat (ATK: 1000) in attack mode!" Lilina's monster was a gentleman in a purple tuxedo, white cap and top hat. Despite his noble appearance, there was something sinister in his eyes.

"Next I'll play the spell card Secret Treasure Pass! With this card, my monster can bypass your alien and attack you directly!" Lilina continued. With that, her monster drew back his hand and fired a burst of light that struck Rutger in the chest (LP: 3000).

"That hurt!" Rutger groaned.

"Not as much as what my magical hat is about to do. Because he inflicted damage to your life points, you have to discard a card from your hand at random!" Lilina warned. Rutger sighed as he turned his hand away from him and shuffled the cards. He then picked a card and placed it in his graveyard slot.

"Now I'll follow that move up by placing two cards facedown and ending my turn," Lilina concluded.

"It's my turn! I summon Insect Knight (ATK: 1900) in attack mode! Then I'll have it attack your magical hat!" Rutger declared, a praying mantis monster appearing on his field. This monster walked on two legs, wore blue armor and carried a sword and shield. As soon as the insect fully materialized, it launched itself at Lilina's magician.

"You're not going to get anywhere just blindly attacking," Lilina chided as she opened a facedown, "I play my Bubble Shield trap card!"

---

_**Bubble Shield is a trap card that protects monsters with 1000 attack points or less from being attacked by any monsters with attack points of 1900 or more.**_

---

A bubble made up entirely of hexagon-shaped crystals surrounded the magician and the knight's sword bounced off harmlessly.

"Oh man! I hate that trap card!" Rutger whined as he ended his turn. The shield dispersed and Lilina drew a card.

"You need to quit relying on excessive force and start using strategy. Once again, you left your monsters unprotected," Lilina sighed, "And that's going to cost you because I'm summoning the tuner monster Gauss Synchron (ATK: 300)!"

"Gauss Synchron! That can only mean…!" Cecilia gasped.

"That's right! I'm tuning my Gauss Synchron with my White Magical Hat!" Lilina announced. Her monsters turned into rings and light sparks. Rutger and Cecilia watched in amazement as a new monster appeared from the rings. It was a black and purple dragon with two sets of wings. It stood over its mistress protectively with its muscular legs. It crossed its arms in contempt as its horned head touched the ceiling.

"Lunar Guard Dragon (ATK: 2100)… I always get goosebumps when you summon it," Rutger shivered.

"Why? Is it because of its special abilities?" Lilina asked snidely, "Well, just to refresh your memory, Lunar Guard Dragon has three special abilities that can be used once per turn. So I'll jack up my dragon's attack power by 500 points and then have it destroy your Alien Shocktrooper!" Dark energy flared around Lilina's beast as it powered up (ATK: 2600) and fired a burst of black flame at Rutger's monster, destroying it. Rutger recoiled as his life points suffered yet another hit (LP: 2400).

_That's strange. Lunar Guard Dragon could've attacked twice instead. What's Lilina up to? Is she taking it easy on Rutger?_ Cecilia wondered.

"It's your move Rutger and I suggest you make it count," Lilina cautioned as her dragon's power returned to normal.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Rutger mumbled, drawing a card, "Alright! I release Insect Knight in order to advance summon Maximum Six (ATK: 1900)!" His insect promptly vanished and in its place was a purple humanoid monster with six arms.

"That's your favorite card," Lilina noticed, "But it's not going to help you here."

"Not yet! I still have Maximum Six's special ability! Now I can jack up its power by rolling a die and multiplying the result times 200 points!" Rutger recalled, pulling a die out of his pocket. He rolled it along the ground and the result was a four.

"Yes! A four! That means my monster gains 800 attack points!" Rutger grinned as his monster (ATK: 2700) rushed in for the kill, "That makes it stronger than your dragon!"

"You still don't get it! There's more to a duel than just attack points!" Lilina chided, "And I'll show you that right now! I reveal my facedown card Synchro Strike! With it, my dragon gains 500 attack points for every monster I used when I synchro summoned it!"

"Lilina used two monsters so that means Lunar Guard Dragon gains 1000 attack points!" Cecilia counted.

"Which means Rutger picked the wrong fight again! Lunar Guard Dragon, counter attack! Destroy Maximum Six with dark pulse flare!" Lilina commanded. Her dragon roared as it launched a burst of black energy that pushed Maximum Six back and blew it away.

"Shoot! I was hoping Maximum Six would turn things around," Rutger sighed (LP: 2000) looking through his hand, "I don't have any other cards that can help me out here so I'm quitting." The holograms faded and the players put their cards away.

"Rutger, you have to stop relying on power. It gets you nowhere," Lilina chided.

"But you use power too!" Rutger protested.

"No, I rely on strategy first. That's where my strength lies," Lilina corrected. Lilina removed her duel disk and then smiled. Her left forearm was glowing with a mysterious red light. It was in the shape of a crudely drawn circle with several interconnecting circles.

"It's happening again," Lilina noticed, putting the equipment on the table.

"Your scar is glowing again," Cecilia said, "Does it hurt?" Lilina shook her head.

"No, it doesn't. It always does this when I duel," Lilina explained, "And it always stops after a few minutes." True to her word, the light quickly vanished and all that remained was a darkened mark on her arm.

"This birthmark of mine… I don't know what it means but it's been glowing a lot more lately. I'm worried about it," Lilina admitted.

"Do you think something is wrong?" Cecilia asked.

"I can't put my finger on it but I just have this bad feeling," Lilina admitted, "But I've got no time to dwell on it. I'm going to get to work on my runner now." Grabbing the supplies that she had dropped earlier, Lilina returned to her room and set to work. She worked through the rest of the day and as the sun set, the bike had taken a drastic change in looks and horsepower. It now had turbine-like engines and long exhaust pipes that stuck out just past the rear wheel.

"I did it. Three years of hard work and scrounging but it's finally done. My duel runner is complete," Lilina sighed with relief. Turning away from her prize, she looked out the window towards Neo Domino City.

_Just you wait Jack. Your time as king will be up soon enough._ Lilina promised.


End file.
